Asplenium azoricum

Asplenium azoricum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pteridophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Polypodiales
(unranked): Eupolypods II
Family: Aspleniaceae
Genus: Asplenium
Species: A. azoricum
Binomial name
Asplenium azoricum
(Milde) Lovis, Rasbach & Reichstein 1977

Asplenium azoricum is a fern from hybrid origin of the Aspleniaceae family, descendent of the Macaronesian ancestral fern Asplenium anceps. It lives exclusively in the Azores, that is a strict endemic Azorean fern. Its fronds are coriaceous like plastic and its rachis is very thick, dark garnet color and brilliance. A typical feature of this fern, which it shares with all the descendants of A. anceps, is the existence of a small atrium at the base of the medium and lower pinnae geared towards the apex of the frond with one or two sori in its underside.

Habitat

It lives among the stones of the walls of the terraces and in the crevices of volcanic rocks oriented to the north and northwest. Depending of the degree of exposure to the sun, its phenotype changes a lot, becoming more coriaceous the more sunlight it receives.

Distribution

It lives in the nine Azores Islands.

Hybrids

References

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